Bahrain denies police advisor has quit

John Yates was appointed to reform the Kingdom’s police force in wake of Arab Spring

John Yates, former Metropolitan Police Service officer.

By Sara Anabtawi

Sun 26 Aug 2012 12:15 PM

Authorities in Bahrain have denied recent reports claiming that senior police advisor John Yates has quit his post.

Yates, former Assistant Commissioner of the UK's Metropolitan Police, was drafted in last December to oversee reforms to Bahrain's police service, which was faced with accusations of heavy-handedness in quelling civil demonstrations in the Gulf state.

“Yates’ initial six-month contract concluded on July 20 this year. However, he
remains as an important adviser to the Minister of Interior, overseeing the
police code of conduct and the implementation of reforms. Yates is scheduled to
regularly visit the country in the coming months,” a statement by the
Information Affairs Authority said.

Bahrain's security apparatus has faced staunch criticism over how it has dealt with protesters seeking to remove the Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom's government.

In April, an Amnesty International report claimed the Bahraini government’s response to the findings of an international commission of inquiry had proved inadequate as human rights violations continued.

The 58-page report said that piecemeal reforms had failed to provide justice for the victims of human rights violations despite the government’s insistence that it will learn from the events of February and March 2011.

Following the November report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), Amnesty said it has found that despite some institutional and other reforms, the government's overall response has been "inadequate".

Amnesty is calling on the Bahraini government to "immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience and to ensure that those suspected of torturing and killing, including those with command responsibility, are held accountable".